Methods and apparatus for associating mapping functionality and information in contact lists of mobile communication devices

Method and device for associating drawing function with information in contact list of mobile communication equipment

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the priority of the European Patent Application No. 06116846.4 of the same name filed with the European Patent Office on July 7, 2006, and this application further claims the 60th of the same name filed on March 31, 2006. /788,458, the United States Provisional Patent Application No. 0108-0324/US, this application also requires the "Method And System For Distribution Of Map ContentTo Mobile Communication Devices" filed on March 31, 2006 No. 60/787,541, the agency file number is P1579US00 (and RIM30176-ID), and the first inventor is the US provisional patent application of Eric Johnson.

Technical field

[0003] The present invention generally relates to drawing functions and techniques suitable for use in mobile communication devices operating in wireless communication networks.

Background technique

[0004] The mobile communication device may provide a contact manager function for managing multiple contacts in the contact list for the terminal user. The contact manager function may be an address book manager function. For example, each of the multiple contacts includes a name and related contact information, such as an address, one or more phone numbers, and an email address. Some contact information, such as phone numbers and email addresses, can be used by the end user when initiating communication from the mobile communication device.

[0005] In addition, the mobile communication device also provides a drawing function, which is used to provide a map of a visual display of a geographic location. However, it is not known that such a contact manager function and drawing function in a mobile communication device can be integrated.

[0006] Correspondingly, there is a need for a method and device to associate the drawing function with the information related to the contact list function and information, especially in a mobile communication device operating in a wireless communication network.

Summary of the invention

[0007] In the illustrated technical example of the present invention, a method for associating a drawing function into a contact list of a mobile communication device includes providing a contact list manager function in the mobile communication device for managing the contact list. Or multiple contacts in the list; through the user interface of the mobile communication device, determine a user input request for locating a contact in the contact list; and in response to the user input request, perform the following further determining the selected contact The operation of the address of the location in one or more address fields; using the address as input, sending a location coordinate request to the address geocoding server through the network; receiving the latitude and latitude of the location in response to the location coordinate request through the wireless network Longitude coordinates; and mapping data based on the location, so that a map corresponding to the location of the selected contact is visually displayed on the display of the mobile device, and the location corresponds to the map data received through the wireless network in response to the location The requested latitude and longitude coordinates.

Description of the drawings

[0008] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings, in which:

[0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the relevant components of a mobile communication device and a wireless communication network of the communication system;

[0010] FIG. 2 is a more detailed diagram of the preferred mobile communication device of FIG. 1, such as a mobile station;

[0011] FIG. 3A is a system diagram of a network component that provides a drawing function in the mobile communication device of FIGS. 1 and 2;

[0012] FIG. 3B illustrates the message interaction between the mobile communication device and the map server for downloading map content to the mobile communication device according to the system of FIG. 3A;

[0013] FIG. 3C shows a map data structure according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0014] FIG. 4 illustrates a user interface of a mobile communication device;

[0015] FIG. 5 illustrates various software applications that may be located in a mobile communication device;

[0016] FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a positioning wheel of a mobile communication device;

[0017] FIG. 8 illustrates information that can be displayed on a display of a mobile communication device, the information being an address book contact of an address book of the mobile communication device, and the mobile communication device includes a plurality of address book contacts;

[0018] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method for associating a drawing function with information in an address book, which is a specific type of contact book that can be provided;

[0019] FIGS. 10-14 illustrate the information displayed on the display, following the sequence of the sequence of events outlined in the flowchart of FIG. 9; and

[0020] FIG. 15 is a flowchart of another method for associating a drawing function with information in an address book.

Detailed ways

[0021] In the illustrated technical example of the present invention, a method for associating a drawing function into a contact list of a mobile communication device includes providing a contact list manager function in the mobile communication device for managing the contact list. Or multiple contacts in the list; through the user interface of the mobile communication device, determine a user input request for locating a contact in the contact list; and in response to the user input request, perform the following further determining the selected contact The operation of the address of the location in one or more address fields; using the address as input, sending a location coordinate request to the address geocoding server through the network; receiving the latitude and latitude of the location in response to the location coordinate request through the wireless network Longitude coordinates; and mapping data based on the location, so that a map corresponding to the location of the selected contact is visually displayed on the display of the mobile device, and the location corresponds to the map data received through the wireless network in response to the location The requested latitude and longitude coordinates.

[0022] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communication system 100, which includes a mobile station 102 (a kind of wireless or mobile communication device) that communicates through a wireless communication network 104. The mobile station 102 preferably includes a display 112, a keyboard 114, and perhaps one or more auxiliary user interfaces (UI) 116, each interface coupled to a controller 106. The controller 106 is also coupled to a radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit 108 and an antenna 110. Generally, the controller 106 acts as a central processing unit (CPU), which runs operating system software (not shown) in a storage component. The controller 106 usually controls all operations of the mobile station 102, and the signal processing operations related to the communication function are usually executed in the RF transceiver circuit 108. The controller 106 is connected to the device display 112 to display received information, stored information, user input, and so on. The keyboard 114 may be a telephone-type keyboard or a full alphanumeric keyboard. It is usually used to input data stored in the mobile station 102, information to be transmitted to the network 104, telephone numbers for making telephone calls, and Commands executed on the mobile station 102, and possibly other or different user input.

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[0023] The mobile station 102 transmits communication signals to and receives communication signals from the network 104 through the antenna 110 on the wireless link. The RF transceiver circuit 108 performs similar functions to the transceivers of the station 118 and the BSC 120, including, for example, modulation/demodulation and possibly encoding/decoding and encryption/decryption. It is also expected that the RF transceiver circuit 108 may perform certain functions in addition to the functions performed by the BSC 120. It is clear to those skilled in the art that the RF transceiver circuit 108 can be adapted to a particular wireless network, or a network in which the mobile station 102 operates.

[0024] The mobile station 102 includes a battery interface 134 for receiving one or more rechargeable batteries 132. The battery 132 provides power to the circuits in the mobile station 102, and the battery interface 134 provides mechanical and electronic connections for the battery 132. The battery interface 134 is coupled to a regulator 136, which regulates the power of the device. When the mobile station 102 is fully operational, the RF transmitter of the RF transceiver circuit 108 is usually locked or turned on only when it is going to transmit to the network, otherwise it is turned off to save resources. Similarly, the RF receiver of the RF transceiver circuit 108 is usually turned off periodically to save power, and is not turned on until the signal or information needs to be received within a specified period of time.

[0025] The mobile station 102 uses a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) 140 to operate, and the interface is connected to or inserted into the mobile station 102 on the SIM interface 142. The SIM140 is a traditional "smart card" used to identify the end user (or subscriber) of the mobile station 102 and personalize the device to distinguish other devices. Without the SIM 140, the mobile station terminal cannot completely operate through the wireless network 104. By inserting the SIM 140 into the mobile station 102, the end user can access any and all his/her customized services. The SIM140 usually includes a processor and a memory for users to store information. Since the SIM 140 is coupled to the SIM interface 142, it is coupled to the controller 106 through the communication line 144. In order to identify the subscriber, the SIM 140 contains some user parameters, such as International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI). The advantage of using SIM140 is that the end user does not have to be bound to any separate physical mobile station. SIM140 can also store additional user information of the mobile station, including data book (or calendar) information and recent call information.

[0026] The mobile station 102 may include individual units, such as a data communication device, a cellular phone, a global positioning system (GPS) unit, a multi-function communication device with data and voice communication capabilities, a personal digital assistant (PDA) capable of wireless communication, Or a computer that includes an Internet modem. Alternatively, the mobile station 102 may be a multi-module unit, including a plurality of separate components, including but not limited to a computer or other equipment connected to a wireless modem. In particular, for example, in the block diagram of the mobile station in FIG. 1, the RF transceiver circuit 108 and the antenna 110 can be used as a radio modem unit, which can be plugged into a port of a laptop computer. In this case, the laptop computer would include a display 112, a keyboard 114, one or more auxiliary UI 116, and a controller 106 as the CPU of the computer. It is also hoped that computers or other devices that generally do not have wireless communication capabilities can also be adapted to connect to the wireless transceiver circuit 108 and antenna 110 of a separate unit device, such as the above-mentioned devices, and effectively control them. Such a mobile station 102 has a more specific implementation with respect to the mobile station 402 of FIG. 2, as will be described later.

[0027] The mobile station 102 is in and communicates with the wireless communication network 104. The wireless communication network 104 may be a cellular communication network. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the wireless network 104 is configured according to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technologies. Although the wireless communication network 104 is described here as a GSM/GPRS type network, it can also utilize any appropriate technology, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband CDMA (WCDMA), 2G, 3G or based on Universal Mobile Communication System ( UMTS) technology. In this embodiment, the GSM/GPRS wireless network 104 includes a base station controller (BSC) 120 with an associated tower 118, a mobile switching center (MSC) 122, a home location register (HLR) 132, and a service general packet radio service ( GPRS) Support Node (SGSN) 126, and Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) 128. The MSC 122 is coupled to the BS 120 and an on-road communication network, such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN) 124. The SGSN 126 is coupled to the BSC 120 and the GGSN 128, and it is also coupled to a public or private data network 130 (such as the Internet).

HLR132 is coupled to MSC122, SGSN126, and GGSN128.

[0028] The station 118 is a fixed transceiver station, and the station 118 and the BSC 120 may refer to transceiver devices. This transceiver device provides wireless network coverage for a specific coverage area called a "cell". The transceiver device transmits communication signals to and receives communication signals from the mobile stations in its cell through the station 118. The transceiver device usually performs functions such as modulation and possibly encoding and/or encryption on the signal to be sent to the mobile station under the control of its controller according to a special, usually predetermined communication protocol and parameters. If necessary, the transceiver device similarly demodulates and possibly decodes and decrypts any communication signals received from the mobile station 102 in its cell. The communication protocols and parameters between different networks can be different. For example, the network can adopt a different modulation strategy than other networks and operate at a different frequency. [0029] The wireless link shown in the communication system 100 of FIG. 1 represents one or more different channels, usually different radio frequency (RF) channels, and related protocols used between the wireless network 104 and the mobile station 102 . The RF channel is a limited resource that must be saved, usually due to the limitation of the entire bandwidth and the limited battery power of the mobile station 102. Those skilled in the art will understand that the wireless network in actual operation includes hundreds of cells, and each cell is composed of a station 118. Service (ie, or station section), which depends on the entire coverage of the desired network. All relevant components can be connected by multiple switches and routers (not shown) controlled by multiple network controllers.

[0030] For all mobile stations 102 registered with the network operator, permanent data (such as the user profile of the mobile station 102) and temporary data (such as the current location of the mobile station 102) are stored in the HLR 132. When there is a voice call to the mobile station 102, the HLR 132 is queried to determine the current location of the mobile station 102. The Visited Location Register (VLR) of the MSC122 is responsible for a group of location areas and stores the data of the mobile stations currently located in its area. This includes part of the permanent mobile station data transmitted from the HLR132 to the VLR for faster access. However, the VLR of the MSC 122 can also allocate and store local data, such as temporary authentication. Optionally, the VLR of MSC122 can be enhanced to support GPRS and non-GPRS services and functions (such as paging circuit switched calls, which can be performed more efficiently through SGSN126 and combined with GPRS and non-GPRS location updates). coordination.

[0031] The Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) 126 and the MSC 122 are on the same system level, and track the individual location of the mobile station. SGSN126 also performs security functions and access control. The gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) 128 provides interaction with external packet switching networks, and is connected to an SGSN (such as SGSN126) through an IP-based GPRS backbone network. The SGSN126 executes the checksum password setting procedure according to the same algorithm, key and standard in the existing GSM. In a conventional operation, the mobile station 102 can automatically perform cell selection, or the transceiver device can instruct the mobile station 102 to select a specific cell. When the mobile station 102 reselects another cell or a group of cells, that is, the so-called routing area, it notifies the wireless network 104.

[0032] In order to access the GPRS service, the mobile station 102 lets the wireless network 104 know its existence by performing so-called GPRS "attach". This operation establishes a logical link between the mobile station 102 and the SGSN 126, and enables the mobile station 102 to receive, for example, pages passing through the SGSN, notifications of incoming GPRS data, or SMS messages over GPRS. In order to send and receive GPRS data, the mobile station 102 helps to activate the packet data address it wants to use. This operation enables the mobile station 102 to be informed by the GGSN 128; thus, it can start the interaction with the external data network. For example, encapsulation and tunneling can be used to transparently transfer user data between the mobile station 102 and an external data network. The data packet is assembled with GPRS specific protocol information and is transmitted between the mobile station 102 and the GGSN 128.

[0033] Those skilled in the art will understand that the wireless network may be connected to other systems, and may include other networks not explicitly shown in FIG. 1. The network will usually be based on keeping up and running, to transmit very little certain paging and system information, even if there is no actual packet data exchange. Although the network consists of many parts, all these parts work together

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Operation, resulting in a specific behavior on the wireless link.

[0034] FIG. 2 is a more detailed diagram of the preferred mobile station 202 of the present invention. The mobile station 202 is preferably a two-way communication device, which has at least voice and advanced data communication capabilities, including the ability to communicate with other computer systems. Depending on the functions provided by the mobile station 202, it is preferably a data information transfer device, a two-way pager, a cellular phone with data information transfer capability, a wireless Internet device, or a data communication device (with or without telephone capability). The mobile station 202 can communicate with any of a plurality of fixed transceiver stations 200 within its geographic coverage area.

[0035] The mobile station 202 generally includes a communication subsystem 211, which includes a receiver 212, a transmitter 214, and related components, such as one or more antenna units 216 and 218, a local oscillator (LO) 213, and a processing module, The communication subsystem 211 such as a digital signal processor (DSP) 220o is similar to the transceiver circuit 108 and the antenna 110 shown in FIG. 1. Those skilled in the art will understand that the specific design of the communication subsystem 211 depends on the communication network that the mobile station 202 intends to operate.

[0036] The mobile station 202 may send and receive communication signals on the network after completing the network registration or activation procedure. The signal received by the antenna 216 through the network is input to the receiver 212, which can perform ordinary receiver functions such as signal amplification, down-conversion, filtering, channel selection, etc., in the example shown in FIG. A/D) conversion. The A/D conversion of the received signal enables more complex communication functions, such as demodulation and decoding, to be performed in the DSP 220. Similarly, the transmitted signal is processed, for example, by the DSP 220, including modulation and coding. The signals processed by these DSPs are input to the transmitter 214 for digital-to-analog (D/A) conversion, up-conversion, filtering, amplification, and transmission on the communication network through the antenna 218. DSP220 not only processes communication signals, but also provides control for the receiver and transmitter. For example, the gain of the communication signal used in the receiver 212 and the transmitter 214 can be adaptively controlled by an automatic gain control algorithm in the DSP 220. [0037] Network access is associated with a subscriber or user of the mobile station 202, so in order to operate in the network, the mobile station 202 needs to insert a subscriber identity module or "SIM" card 262 into the SIM interface 264. SIM262 includes those features described in FIG. 1. The mobile station 202 is a battery-powered device, so it also includes a battery interface 254 to receive one or Multiple rechargeable batteries 256. Such a battery 256 provides power for all circuits in the mobile station 202, otherwise it provides power for most of the circuits, and the battery interface 254 provides mechanical and electronic connections for it. The battery interface 254 is coupled to a regulator (not shown), which provides a regulated voltage V to all circuits.

[0038] The mobile station 202 includes a microprocessor 238 (which is an implementation of the controller 106 of FIG. 1), which controls all operations of the mobile station 202. The communication function is performed through the communication subsystem 211, including at least data and voice communication. The microprocessor 238 also incorporates other device subsystems, such as the display 222, flash memory 224, random access memory (RAM) 226, auxiliary input/output (I/O) subsystem 228, serial port 230, keyboard 232, The speaker 234, the microphone 236, the short-range communication subsystem 240, and any other device subsystems are generally represented by 242. Some of the subsystems shown in Figure 2 perform communication-related functions, while other subsystems may provide "local" or on-device functions. It should be noted that some subsystems, such as the keyboard 232 and the display 222, for example, can be used for communication-related functions, such as inputting text messages to be transmitted over the communication network, and device local functions, such as calendar or task list. The operating system software used by the microprocessor 238 is preferably stored in a permanent memory, such as the flash memory 224, which can also be replaced by a read-only memory (ROM) or similar storage unit. Those skilled in the art will understand that operating systems, specific device applications, or parts of them can be temporarily loaded in a volatile memory, such as RAM226_O

[0039] The microprocessor 238, in addition to its operating system function, preferably executes the software application of the mobile station 202±. A predetermined set of application programs that control the operation of the basic device, including at least data and voice communication applications, and the inventive functions of the present invention, are usually installed on the mobile station 202 during the manufacturing process. Is loaded on the mobile station 202

A preferred application may be a personal information manager (PIM) application, which can organize and manage user-related data items such as, but not limited to, emails, calendar events, voice mails, appointments, and task items. Of course, there may be one or more memories on the mobile station 202 and the SIM 256 to store PIM data items and other information.

[0040] The PIM application preferably has the ability to send and receive data items through a wireless network. In the present invention, PIM data items are seamlessly integrated, synchronized, and updated through the wireless network, and the corresponding data items of the mobile station user are stored and/or associated with the host system, so that the mobile station 202 ± creates information about these items. The mirror host of the item. This is particularly beneficial when the host system is the office computer system of the mobile station user. It is also possible to load other application programs on the mobile station 202 through the network, the auxiliary I/O subsystem 228, the serial port 230, the short-range communication subsystem 240, or any other applicable subsystem 242, which are installed by the user In RAM 226 or preferably non-volatile memory (not shown), it is executed by the microprocessor 238. This flexibility in application installation improves the functions of the mobile station 202 and can provide enhanced on-device functions, communication-related functions, or both. For example, a secure communication application may enable the use of the mobile station 202 to perform e-commerce functions and other such financial transactions.

[0041] In the data communication mode, received signals, such as text messages, email messages, or web page downloads, are processed by the communication subsystem 211 and input to the microprocessor 238. The microprocessor 238 will preferably further process the signal for output to the display 222 or alternatively to the auxiliary I/O device 228. The user of the mobile station 202 may also, for example, use the keyboard 232 in combination with the display 222 and possibly auxiliary I/O devices 228 to compose data items, such as e-mail messages. The keyboard 232 is preferably an all-alphanumeric keyboard and/or a telephone-type keypad. These written items can be transmitted on the communication network through the communication subsystem 211.

[0042] For voice communication, the overall operation of the mobile station 202 is basically similar, except that the received signal will be output to the speaker 234, and the signal to be transmitted will be generated by the microphone 236. An alternative voice or audio I/O subsystem may also be implemented on the mobile station 202, such as a voice message recording subsystem. Although voice or audio signal output is preferably mainly done through the speaker 234, as some examples, during a voice call, the display 222 may also be used to provide an indication of the identity of the caller.

[0043] The serial port 230 in FIG. 2 is usually implemented in a personal digital assistant (PDA) type communication device, for which synchronization with the user's desktop computer is a desired component, although this component is optional. The serial port 230 allows the user to set parameters through external devices or software applications, and expand the capabilities of the mobile station 202 by providing information or software downloads to the mobile station 202 instead of through a wireless communication network. An alternative download path may be used, for example, to load the key on the mobile station 202 through a direct and reliable and trusted connection, thereby providing secure device communication.

[0044] The short-range communication subsystem 240 of FIG. 2 is an additional optional component that provides communication between the mobile station 202 and different systems or devices, and they do not have to be similar devices. For example, the subsystem 240 may include an infrared device and related circuits and components, or a BluetoothTM communication module to provide communication with similar systems and devices. BluetoothTM is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG Corporation.

[0045] FIG. 3A is a system diagram of a network component, which provides a drawing function in the mobile communication device of FIGS. 1 and 2. In order to realize this function, a drawing application program (for example, the drawing application program 550 of FIG. 5) is also provided in the memory of the mobile communication device, so that the map can be seen on the display. A mobile communication device, such as the mobile station 202, is connected to the relay 307 through the firewall 305 through the mobile bearer network 303. In the relay 307, a request for map data is received from any mobile communication device, and passed through the firewall 311 through the secure channel 309 to the joint enterprise server 313 and the joint mobile data system (MDS) server 315. The request is then passed through the firewall 317 to the public location-based service (LBS)

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Server 321, which provides location-based services to process the request. The network may include multiple such LBS servers, and requests are distributed and processed by the load distribution server. The LBS data can be stored on the network server 321 in the network database 322, or on another LBS data server (not shown). The dedicated joint data stored on the joint LBS server 325 can be added to the public data through the joint MDS server 315 on the safe return path to the mobile station 202. Alternatively, in the absence of a federation server, the request from the mobile station 202 will be passed to the public MDS server 327 through the relay 307, and it will send the request to the public LBS server 321 that provides the LBS to process the request.

[0046] The network may also include an address geocoding server (not shown in FIG. 3A), which provides longitude and latitude coordinates corresponding to an address (such as a residential address or a business address) in response to a request for the longitude and Input of latitude. The address geocoding server is preferably a server that is separate and remote from the LBS server 321 that provides map data to draw a map. The address geocoding server can be in the same network as the LBS server 321, or alternatively in a different network.

[0047] A map data structure is provided, which includes all geographical and tagged content related to geographic areas (for example, map features (point features) such as restaurants), streets (line features), or lakes (polygon features) . The map is composed of a "DEntry" (data entry) layer identified by a "layer ID", so that data from different sources can be applied to the device and combined for proper drawing. Each DEntry represents one or more artifacts or markers (or a combination of the two), and includes coordinate information (also called "bounding box" or "boundary zone"), used to identify DEntry and multiple data points. The area covered, they collectively identify the artifact or mark. For example, DEntry can be used to represent a street (or multiple streets) on a city map, where each point in DEntry is divided into different parts to represent various parts of the artifact (for example, parts of a street). The mobile device can send a request to the map server to download only those DEntry included in the specific area or bounding box that only represents the area of interest, for example, the coordinate pair of the lower left corner and the upper right corner.

[0048] In the following discussion in conjunction with FIG. 3B, the mobile device sends one or more A01 (area of interest) requests to the map server> DEntry or data request and map index request for selectively downloading map data according to the user environment . In this way, instead of transmitting the entire map data for every request from the device, the local cache can be used in the mobile device and combined with the environmental filtering of the map data on the server. For example, if the users mobile device is GPS-enabled, and the user is driving along a highway at a speed of 120km/h in a car, then environmental filtering can be used to prevent downloading of map data related to the side roads passing by . Or, if the user is sailing on an airplane at an altitude of 30,000', then environmental filtering can be adopted to prevent downloading map data regardless of the street. In addition, the user's environment can be defined, for example, based on occupation (for example, the user's occupation is a transport truck driver, he can use environmental filtering to prevent downloading the user's truck can not drive the map data of the side road, or the user's occupation is a soft drink vendor Vending machine supplementary supplies, he can use environmental filtering to download public map data showing the users responsible area. Irrelevant data such as lakes and parks are filtered out, and the location of the included soft drink vending machines is filtered out. The dedicated map data is superimposed on the public map data).

[0049] The map index request causes the map index (that is, only a part of the map that provides the content table of the map data available in the map, rather than the entire map) to be downloaded from the map server to the device, thereby saving OTA (in the air). ) Bandwidth and device memory cache requirements. The map index conforms to the same data structure as the map, but the data points are deleted. As a result, the map index is relatively small compared to a complete map or a traditional bitmap (for example, 300-400 bytes), and includes DEntry bounding boxes and attributes (size, complexity, etc.) of all artifacts in the map . As browse

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For a change in scope (for example, a device with a clear location displays a map while it is moving), the device (client) software evaluates whether it needs to download additional data from the server. Therefore, as mentioned above, if the size or complexity of the artifacts that have begun to move into the browsing range of the device (but have not been displayed) are not related to the current environment of the viewer, then the device can choose not to Show the part of the artifact. On the other hand, if this part of the artifact is suitable for display, then the device evaluates its cache to determine whether the DEntry associated with the part of artifact has been downloaded, and the cached content if it has already been downloaded be shown. Otherwise, the device sends a request to the map server to download all DEntry related to the artifact part.

[0050] By organizing the map data structure in layers, it is possible to seamlessly merge and display information obtained from public and private databases. For example, the device may display an office building located at a specific address on a street (for example, the first ζ sequence attribute from a public database), adjacent to a river (for example, the second ζ sequence attribute from a public database), And the floor plan of this building is superimposed to show a separate office (for example, the attributes of the 11th ζ sequence from a dedicated database can be accessed through a firewall).

[0051] Returning to FIG. 3A, in a network with an LBS server 321 and a database 322 accessible to it, all map data of the entire world is divided and stored into grids of different resolution levels (zoom), as described in Table A below of. Thus, a single A-level map represents a grid area of 0.05x0. 05 degrees; a single B-level map represents a grid area of 0.5x0.5 degrees; a single C-level map represents a 5x5 degree grid area; a single D-level map Represents a grid area of 50x50 degrees; and a single E-level map represents the world in a single map. It can be understood that Table A is only an example of a specific map grid configuration, and other or different grid configurations can also be used. A map includes a set of layers, each layer includes a set of DEntry, and each DEntry includes a set of points.

[0052]

<td>grade</td><td>Grid (degrees)</td><td>Number of maps covering the world</td><td>Number of maps covering North America</td><td>Number of maps covering Europe</td>

<td>A</td><td>0. 05x0. 05</td><td>25, 920, 000</td><td>356,000</td><td>100, 000</td>

<td>B</td><td>0. 5x0.5</td><td>259, 200</td><td>6, 500</td><td>1000</td>

<td>C</td><td>5x5</td><td>2, 592</td><td>96</td><td>10</td>

<td>D</td><td>50x50</td><td>32</td><td>5</td><td>5</td>

<td>E</td><td>worldwide</td><td>1</td><td>1</td><td>1</td>

[0053] Table A

[0054] Turning now to FIG. 3B, the mobile communication device (that is, the client) can generate three specific types of requests: an A01 request, a DEntry request, and a map index request. These requests can be generated separately or in various combinations, as described in detail below. The AOΙ (region of interest) request requires all DEntry within a given area (bounding box) of a set of predetermined or selected ζ sequence layers. This AOΙ request is usually generated when the mobile communication device moves to a new area, so that The customer of the device knows what is available in the map before obtaining the DEntry to be displayed. The map index has exactly the same structure as the map, but does not include the complete DEntry (that is, the data points that actually represent artifacts and markers are deleted). In this way, the map index defines what layers and DEntry are available for a given map. A data or DEntry request is a mechanism used to bind together all the DEntry needed for a given map.

[0055] Generally, A01 and map index requests appear in pairs in the same message, although they do not need to appear in pairs, and DEntry requests are generated most frequently. For example, when a mobile communication device moves into an area and no information associated with the area is stored on the device client, a map index request will return a map index, which indicates what data the client can specifically request from the server 321, and Α0Ι request will return all the areas of interest for the specified layer

DEntry (if it exists). In the example of the request shown in FIG. 3B, the desired map is identified in the DEntry request by specifying the map coordinates of the lower left corner. In addition, the DEntry request may include layer masking so that unneeded layers are not downloaded, DEntry masking so that unnecessary data points are not downloaded, and a zoom value to specify the zoom level for the requested DEntry. Once the device customer receives the requested map index, then the customer usually sends multiple DEntry requests to request a specific DEntry (because the customer knows all the specific DEntry available according to the map index)_o[0056] According to the present invention, some 20x20 Class A maps (representing 1x1 degree squares) are edited into map files (· mbl). An .mbl file includes a header, which specifies the offset value in the .mlb file and the length of each map. The same 20x20 map index data is edited into a map index file (.mbx). The .mbl and .mbx file structures are described in Tables B and C, respectively.

[0057]

<td>Address offset</td><td>Offset</td><td>length</td>

<td>0x000</td><td>Map#0 offset (4 bytes)</td><td>Map#0 length (4 bytes)</td>

<td>0x008</td><td>Map #1 offset</td><td>Map #1 length</td>

<td>0x010</td><td>Map #2 offset</td><td>Map #2 length</td>

<td>・♦ ·</td><td>・・・</td><td>• ♦ ♦</td>

<td>0xC78</td><td>Map #399 offset</td><td>Map#399 length</td>

<td>0xC80</td><td colspan="2">The beginning of map #0</td>

<td>0xC80 + size of map #0</td><td colspan="2">The beginning of map #1</td>

<td>0xC80 + size of map#0+#1</td><td colspan="2">The beginning of map #2</td>

<td>・・・</td><td colspan="2">•・♦</td>

<td>0xC80 + the sum of the size of the map (#0-#398)</td><td colspan="2">The beginning of map #399</td>

[0058] Table B

[0059] In Table B, the offset value of map #0 is 0x0000_0000. According to the present invention, the data structure is based on the assumption that the base address of the actual map data is 0x0000_0C80o. Therefore, the absolute address of map #0 is: map #0 address = Base address (0x0000_0C80) + map #0 offset value (0x0000_0000), other map addresses are calculated as: map # (n + l) offset value = map # (n) offset value + map # (η) length. If the map has no data or does not exist, the length parameter is set to zero (0χ0000_0000) ο

[0060]

<td>Address offset</td><td>Offset (4 bytes)</td><td>Length (4 bytes)</td>

<td>0x000</td><td>Map index #0 offset</td><td>Map index #0 length</td>

<td>0x008</td><td>Map index #1 offset</td><td>Map index #1 length</td>

<td>0x010</td><td>Map index #2 offset</td><td>Map index #2 length</td>

<td>・♦・</td><td>• · ·</td><td>・・·</td>

<td>0xC78</td><td>Map index #399 offset</td><td>Map index #399 length</td>

<td>0xC80</td><td colspan="2">Start of map index #0</td>

<td>0xC80+size of map index #0</td><td colspan="2">Start of map index #1</td>

<td>0xC80+size of map index #0+#1</td><td colspan="2">Start of map index #2</td>

<td>・・♦</td><td colspan="2">•・♦</td>

<td>0xC80 + the sum of the index size of the map (#0-#398)</td><td colspan="2">Start of map index #399</td>

[0061] Table C

[0062] In Table C, the map index #0 is 0x0000,0000. According to the present invention, the data structure assumes that the base address of the actual map data is 0x0000_0C80._oTherefore, the absolute address of map index #0 is: map index #0 address = base address (0x0000_0C80) + map index #0 offset value (0x0000_0000), and other map addresses are calculated as: map index # (n+l) offset Value = map index # (n) offset value + map index # (n) length. If the map index has no data or does not exist, the length parameter is set to zero (0x0000_0000).

[0063] FIG. 3C and Table D below combine to describe a typical embodiment of the basic map data structure. Generally, as described above, the map data structure can include map indexes (ie DEntry indexes, each index can represent artifacts or markers or both), and data for each DEntry that actually forms such artifacts and markers. point. In this example, each map includes a map ID (for example, OxAlBIClDl), a layer # in the map, and a layer entry for each layer. The map ID identifies the data as a valid map, and according to an alternative, can also be used to identify the version number of the data. Layer# is an integer, which indicates the number of layers in the map (and thus the layer entry). Each layer entry defines the drawing attributes of all DEntry in the corresponding layer, and is followed by the DEntry list for that layer. The above forms the map index. For a complete map, each DEntry includes a set of data points (here called oPoint) or markers. Note that a layer can have multiple DEntry, and the complete DEntry and point list is grouped by layer and separated by layer separator (for example, hexadecimal value OxEEEEEEEE). According to a typical embodiment, the length of each layer entry is 20 bytes, and the length of DEntry is 12 bytes. However, the number of layers, the number of DEntry per layer, and the number of points per DEntry depend on the map data and are variable.

[0064] Table D provides a high "byte level" description of the map.

[0065]

CN 101166326 Β

<td colspan="2">data</td><td>quality</td><td>Total bytes</td>

<td colspan="2">Map ID</td><td>1</td><td>4 bytes</td>

<td colspan="2">Number of layers</td><td>1</td><td>4 bytes</td>

<td colspan="2">Layer entry</td><td>Number of layers</td><td>20 bytes X (number of layers)</td>

<td>Layer DEntry</td><td rowspan="2">X (the number of DEntry in the layer)</td><td rowspan="3">Number of layers</td><td>12 bytes X (the sum of DEntry numbers in each layer)+</td>

<td>Layer DEntry pointer</td><td>4 bytes X (the sum of the number of pointers for each DEntry in each layer) +</td>

<td colspan="2">Layer separator</td><td>4 bytes X (number of layers)</td>

[0066] Table D

[0067] For more detailed details, this application is here combined with No. 60/787, No. 541, the agency file number, which was filed on March 31, 2006 and named "Method And System For Distribution Of Map Content To Mobile Communication Devices" It is a US provisional patent application for P1579US00 (and RIM30176-ID) and the first inventor is Eric Johnson.

[0068] FIG. 4 is an example of the user interface 402 of the mobile station 202, which includes at least a display 222, a keyboard 232, a speaker 234, a microphone 236, and a cursor or display positioning mechanism, such as a positioning wheel 410 (such as a pulley) or a trackball 433 . Although shown enlarged for clarity in FIG. 4, the size of this mobile station 202 is a handheld portable device. As an alternative to or in addition to the positioning wheel 410 and/or the trackball 433, a wider range of one or more pointing or cursor/display positioning devices, such as a touch pad, joystick button, mouse, touch screen, writing pad, or Other currently known or unknown mechanisms. The "cursor" as used here can include, but is not limited to, pointers, movable items or other visual rods (for example, no restrictions, graphic objects; special symbols; outlines; rectangles; underlined characters; flashing items) for marking positions Or to indicate another item on the display, for example to indicate the location of a data entry or to select another item.

[0069] The keys 428 of the keyboard 232 are arranged in front of the base 406, and the positioning wheel 410 is arranged beside the base 406. An example of the keyboard 232 is in the form of a simplified QWERTY keyboard, including a plurality of keys 428 as input members. It can be seen that the arrangement of the characters 448 on the keys 428 of the keyboard 424 is a general QWERTY arrangement, although many keys 428 include two characters 448. In the exemplary description of the keyboard 424, many of the keys 428 include two characters, such as including a first character 452 and an assigned second character 456. It can be understood that the expression of "characters" should be broadly understood as including letters, numbers, symbols, etc., and may also include ideographic characters, their components, and so on. The key 428 of the keyboard 424 includes the letters "Q" and "W" as the characters 448, and the adjacent key 428 includes the letters "E" and "R" as the characters 448. The keyboard 424 may be of other configurations, such as an AZERTY keyboard, a QWERTZ keyboard, a Dvorak keyboard, or other keyboard or keypad arrangements, which may be known or unknown, and simplified or unsimplified (ie, complete). In a "complete" or unsimplified keyboard or keypad arrangement, each key has a separate letter (rather than multiple letters) assigned to it.

[0070] Among the keys 428 of the keyboard 232 are the &lt;NEXT&gt; key 440 and the &lt;ENTER&gt; key 444. You can press the &lt;NEXT&gt; key 440 to provide a selection input to the processor, and provide a selection input that is basically the same as the rotation input by the positioning wheel 410, where "&lt;NEXT&gt;" can be a symbol or a word provided on the key (for example, printed Up) "next". Since the &lt;NEXT&gt; key 440 is adjacent to some other keys 428 of the keyboard 232, the user can provide a selection input to the processor, and the text input

Basically, it is not necessary to remove the hand from the keyboard 232 during the entry operation. Another key, the &lt;ESC&gt; key 445 is arranged on the side of the base 406, adjacent to the positioning wheel 438, although the same or similar keys may be arranged as part of the keyboard 232. Among the keys 428 of the keyboard 424 is the &lt;DEL&gt; key, which can be used to delete text entries.

[0071] The positioning wheel 410 can be used as another input member, and is rotatable, as shown by the arrow 412, used to provide a selection input to the processor, usually can also be pressed in the direction toward the base 406, such as arrow 414 As shown, it is used to provide another selection input to the processor. The positioning wheel will be described in more detail below in conjunction with FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0072] The display 222 may include a cursor 484, which generally depicts where the next input or selection from the user interface 402 will be received. The display 222 in FIG. 4 is shown as displaying the main interface, which identifies some application programs 586 (see also FIG. 5, which shows some examples of possible application programs 586), with corresponding discrete icons 488 To describe. The icon 488 includes, for example, an email icon 490, a calendar icon 492, an address book icon 494, a task icon 496, a message icon 497, a notepad icon 498, and a search icon 499.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 5, the memory 224 includes a plurality of application programs or routines for processing data associated with the visually displayed icon 488 of FIG. 4. The application program 586 may be any of various forms, such as but not limited to software, firmware, and so on. The application programs 586 include, for example, an email application 588 (FIG. 5) associated with an email icon 490 (FIG. 4), a calendar application 590 (FIG. 5) associated with a calendar icon 492 (FIG. 4), and an address book The address book application 592 (Figure 5) associated with the icon 494 (Figure 4), the task application 594 (Figure 5) associated with the task icon 496 (Figure 4), and the notepad icon 498 (Figure 4) Notepad application 596 (Figure 5), message application 598 (Figure 5) associated with message icon 497 (Figure 4), search application 500 (Figure 5) associated with search icon 499 (Figure 4) . An operating system (OS) program 516 is also stored in the memory 224. The mobile station of the present invention is also suitable for drawing a visual map on the visual display, and using the drawing application program 550 stored in the memory 224 to facilitate drawing the map and other functions.

[0074] In FIG. 4, the "main" interface output is currently active and constitutes the main "band" application for displaying the icon 488 shown. Then an application, such as the email application 588 of FIG. 5, can be launched (opened or browsed) by providing it with appropriate user input. For example, the email application 588 can be launched by rotating the positioning wheel 410 from the user interface 402 to the highlighted email icon 490, and providing a selection input by translating the positioning wheel 410 in the direction indicated by the arrow 438. As another example, the display 222 displays a display icon 499 associated with the search application 500 and accepts input from the positioning wheel 410 to initiate a search from the icon 499. The application 586 can be launched (opened or browsed) additionally or alternatively from the user interface 402 by providing another appropriate input to the user interface 402, such as by appropriately rotating or "rolling" the trackball 433, and by pushing the The trackball 433 (for example, somewhat similar to the positioning wheel 410, except for the plane of FIG. 4) provides selection input.

[0075] Moving, navigating, and/or scrolling by using the cursor/browsing positioning mechanism is very beneficial for the relatively large-sized visual display information and the compressed size of the display 222, because usually only part of the information and messages are removed at any time. It is displayed in the restricted view of the display 222. As mentioned earlier, the positioning wheel 410 is a useful cursor/browsing positioning mechanism to achieve such movement. The positioning wheel 410 may refer to a roller, which specifically includes a disc, which rotates around a fixed axis of the base 302 and can be rotated by the index finger and thumb of the end user. When the information or message is partially displayed, the upward rotation of the positioning wheel 410 causes an upward scroll, so that the display 222 will display the upper part of the information or message. Similarly, the downward rotation of the positioning wheel 410 causes a downward scroll, so that the display 222 will display the lower and upper part of the message or message. The positioning wheel is installed along a fixed linear axis, so that the end user can press down the positioning wheel 410 toward the base 406 (for example, using the end user's index finger or thumb) to select information. See again

The direction indicated by the arrow 414 of the illustrated positioning wheel 410.

[0076] A more detailed mechanism of the positioning wheel 410 will be described below in conjunction with FIGS. 6 and 7. The positioning wheel 410 shown in FIGS. 6-7 is connected to the main assembly 610 and can rotate around the assembly. The main body assembly 610 may be connected to the sliding assembly 720 or may be a part of the sliding assembly 720. The sliding assembly 720 allows the entire positioning wheel 410, and the main assembly 610 can freely move laterally 414 relative to the handheld device. The lateral movement 414 of the positioning wheel is defined as a movement along a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis of the positioning wheel 410. To control this lateral movement 414, the sliding assembly 720 may be connected to a control mechanism, such as a cam mechanism 730 with a cam 731, or alternatively a horizontal mechanism, a solenoid mechanism, or some other starting device. The cam mechanism 730 is connected to a cam controller 740, which is responsible for controlling the lateral position of the positioning wheel 410. When the cam 731 connected to the cam mechanism 730 and the sliding assembly 720 moves, the positioning wheel 410 and the main body assembly 610 also move laterally accordingly. This inward lateral movement toward the base can be detected by the processor of the mobile station as a switch input (activation or depression of the positioning wheel key).

[0077] Although the positioning wheel 410 is shown and described as a mechanism for navigating and moving between visually displayed information, the current user interface technology can use any applicable mechanism, such as a trackball; UP, DOWN, LEFT And RIGHT key; mouse and cursor mechanism; or touch screen display mechanism.

[0078] FIG. 8 illustrates information that can be displayed on the display 222 from the address book application 592 of FIG. 5. In particular, the information in FIG. 8 is an example of address book contacts of an address book, and is used to organize multiple address book contacts of a terminal user. After opening the address book application from the main interface page, browse the address book contact information 800ο

[0079] In the example of FIG. 8, the address book contact information 800 includes the address book name 802 in the address book name field, the business or work phone number 804 in the business or work phone number field, and the family phone number in the home phone number field. Phone number 805, business or work address 806 in one or more business or work address fields, and home address 808 in one or more home address fields. Other information includes the company name (such as a limited company) in the company name field, the title or location of the end user in the company, and the personal identification number (PIN) in the PIN field. Each address book contact in the address book has multiple identical fields for organizing this information. A certain field of any address book contact can be empty, depending on the end user and/or the available information of the end user. Other location information of the address book contact information 800 may also be included, such as the real-time location of the mobile communication device associated with the selected address book contact received through the wireless transceiver. The form of the location can be a real-time location address or real-time longitude and latitude coordinates, and can be received by the mobile communication device in substantially real time.

[0080] The address book application stored in the mobile station provides an address book manager function for the end user. Generally, the terminal user manually enters the contact information of each contact's address book into the memory for use in subsequent communications. Alternatively or in addition, the address book contact information can be downloaded or received into the device in a non-manual manner. Address book contacts can be presented (or can be presented) in a list that is sorted alphabetically by address book names or other field information, or otherwise classified (or can be classified). In addition, the address book contacts can be searched by any field by using the search application 500 (Figure 5). Note that the address book contact information can be stored locally in the memory of the mobile station, or alternatively, stored outside the mobile station, such as an accessible network database; it is important that the address book contact information is accessible and accessible on the mobile station. Browsable.

[0081] Once the address book contact is specified or selected from the address book, this information can be used to help end-user communications. For example, as described above, the mobile station is adapted to operate in a wireless communication network for wireless telephone communication. Since each address book contact can have at least one phone number field for a phone number, this information can be used in the process of initiating a phone call from a mobile station. The processor of the mobile station can specify the contact information in the address book through the user interface.

CN 101166326 Β

The user input selection selection of the phone number to make a phone call and cause the call to the phone number through the wireless communication network to be initiated in response to this user input. For example, you can use the positioning wheel to select an address book contact or phone number, and then use the drop-down menu to select the "call" function for that phone number.

[0082] As described above, the mobile station is suitable for wireless message communication in a wireless communication network. Since each address book contact has at least one e-mail address for the e-mail address, this information can be used when sending e-mail messages from the mobile station. The processor of the mobile station can specify the user input selection of the e-mail address of the address book through the user interface to send the e-mail message, and insert the e-mail address into the destination address of the new e-mail message to be sent to Respond to the user input. For example, use the positioning wheel to select the address book contact or e-mail contact, and then use the drop-down menu to select the "email" function for the e-mail address. The end user can then type or insert the body text of the email message and send it.

[0083] As previously described, the mobile station of the present invention is also suitable for drawing a visual map in its visual display. Referring back to FIG. 5, a drawing application 550 is provided in the memory 224 of the mobile station for drawing a visual map on the display. The drawing of the map is basically performed in the manner described in Figure 3, where the mobile station sends a request for map drawing data to the network, taking the address and/or longitude and latitude coordinates as input, and then receives the map drawing data for use in the Draw a map on the visual display.

[0084] Note however that the mapping data can be cached and kept in the memory for a certain period of time. Therefore, at the beginning, the mobile communication device can request and obtain map data from the network database through the wireless communication network, and store the map data in the memory cache; then the processor will then use the map data in the cache to display the map data on the devices visual display Draw a map in. Any map data that is not found in the cache (usually when the location or area of the map has basically changed or is different) needs to be requested and obtained from the network database as described above. Note that as an alternative to map drawing data or map data, map display can be performed by obtaining "bitmaps" of the map and visually displaying these bitmaps corresponding to addresses and/or longitude and latitude coordinates.

[0085] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a general method for providing a drawing function and information in a contact book or list. In the example provided, the contact book is the address book as described above. However, the contact book or list can be any applicable contact book or list, such as a phone number book or list, an email address book or list, or a subscriber identity module (SIM) or USIM book or list. The method performed by the mobile communication device as described in the preceding figures is executed, or alternatively, it is executed by any computer or communication device (for example, a PC). The method may be executed by one or more processors of the communication device. The computer program product of the mobile station may include execution stored on a computer readable medium (memory, floppy disk or CD-ROM), which is written in accordance with the logic described in this method.

[0086] Starting from block 902 in FIG. 9, an address book manager function is provided in the mobile communication device to manage multiple address book contacts in the address book to facilitate wireless communication (step 904 in FIG. 9). Also, the address book manager function can be more common with the address book manager function with multiple contacts. The processor of the mobile communication device then specifies the user input request through its user interface to map the location of the selected address book contact in the address book (step 906 in FIG. 9). Next, the processor causes the map corresponding to the location to be visually displayed on the display of the mobile communication device in response to the user input request (step 908 in FIG. 9). The mobile communication device will use its processor to map the location according to the previously described, for example, Figure 3.

[0087] FIGS. 10-14 illustrate the information displayed on the display, following the sequence of a particular sequence of events outlined in the flowchart of FIG. 9. FIG. 10 illustrates that the display 222 may start to display one of a plurality of address book contacts of the address book. In this example, an address book contact 1002 for a person named "RichPe Order Lard" is shown. In particular, it shows the

CN 101166326 Β

The address book name and work location of the address book contact 1002 in the list are provided through an address book contact search initiated by a terminal user. In FIG. 11, the processor detects the activation (depression) of the positioning wheel by the end user, and in response, causes the display 222 to display a pop-up or pull-down function menu 1004 to operate on the selected address book contact.

[0088] As shown in the figure, some functions 1008 in the drop-down menu 1004 include a "view" function, used to view the complete address book contact information; an "edit" function, used to edit address book contact information; "Delete" "Function, used to delete address book contact information from the address book; "View family map" function, used to view the visually displayed map corresponding to the main address of the address book contact; "View work map" function, used to View the visually displayed map corresponding to the work or business address of the address book contact; the "Ema subscription" function is used to create an email message, inserting the email address of the address book contact as the destination address of the email message ; The "PIN" function is used to create a PIN message and insert the PIN as the destination address of the PIN address; and the "Call" function is used to initiate a telephone call to the phone number of the address book contact.

[0089] The terminal user uses the positioning wheel to scroll down the function list 1008 of the drop-down menu 1004 to highlight the "view home map" function 1006, as shown in FIG. 11. Then the processor detects the activation (pressing) of the positioning wheel by the end user to select and execute the highlighted "view home map" function 1006. In response, the processor causes the drawing application of the mobile communication device to be executed, taking the location of the "home" address of the selected address book contact as an input parameter. As previously indicated in Figure 8, the home address 808 of the address book contact is 516Athlone Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. In response, the processor receives mapping data from the mapping application corresponding to the home address 808 of the address book contact 800. The processor uses this map drawing data to visually display the map 1210 of the location of the home address 808 on the display 222±, as shown in FIG. 12. The map 1210 of FIG. 12 includes one or more address indications or marks 1202 of home addresses in or around the map 1210.

[0090] In the case where the "view home map" function 1006 as described in FIG. 11 is selected, the end user may alternatively select the "view work map" function. Now referring to FIG. 13, the end user uses the positioning wheel to scroll down the function list of the drop-down menu 1004 to highlight the "View Work Map" function 1302, as shown in FIG. 13. Then the processor detects the activation (pressing) of the positioning wheel by the end user to select and execute the highlighted "view work map" function 1302. In response, the processor causes the drawing application of the mobile communication device to be executed, taking the position of the "work" address of the selected address book contact as an input parameter. As previously pointed out in Figure 8, the work address 806 of the address book contact is "450 March Road, Ontario, Ontario, Canada". In response, the processor receives mapping data from the mapping application corresponding to the work address 806 of the address book contact 800. The processor uses this map drawing data to visually display the map 1410 of the location of the work address 806 on the display 222, as shown in FIG. 14. The map 1410 of FIG. 14 includes one or more address indications or marks 1402 of work addresses in or around the map 1410.

[0091] As mentioned above, additional location information may include address book contact information, such as the real-time location of a mobile communication device associated with the selected address book contact received through a wireless transceiver. The position can be in the form of a real-time location address or real-time longitude and latitude coordinates, and can be received by the mobile communication device in substantially real time. In this case, you can use the "View real-time map" function to view the map corresponding to the current location of the address book contact, using similar techniques as described in Figures 8-14.

[0092] As described above, a map can be created based on the address of the address book contact (eg, work or home address). Additionally or alternatively, each address book contact may include one or more location fields (exposed or hidden) with location data, which indicate the location of the address instead of the address itself. For example, one or more location fields can include

Include the longitude and latitude coordinates (exposed or hidden) corresponding to the location. In this case, you can use the longitude and latitude coordinates to create the map without using any address book contact address.

[0093] Preferably, according to the present invention, the mobile communication device can use the address of the contact in the address book, and the intermediate receiving and using the longitude and latitude coordinates to generate a map. After receiving the user input request, the processor of the mobile communication device can specify the address in one or more address fields of the address book contact, and use the address as input to send a location coordinate request to the address geocoding server via the wireless network (for example, Previously described in Figure 3A). The processor receives the longitude and latitude coordinates corresponding to the address/location in response to the request from the address geocoding server through the wireless network. Next, the processor uses the longitude and latitude as input, sends a map data request to the map server (for example, the server 321 described above) through the wireless network, and receives the mapping data in response to the request from the map server through the wireless network. Then the processor causes the map corresponding to the location to be visually drawn based on the map drawing data received from the map server. Since the device can use the previously stored map data in its cache to draw a map on the display of the device, the following request for map data is only sent when the drawing application obtains the map drawing data; however, anything that is not found in the cache The mapping data (usually when the location or area of the map is basically changed or different) will need to be requested and obtained from the map server/network database, as described above.

[0094] It is preferable to use the address of the address book contact and the technology of receiving and using the longitude and latitude in the middle, especially when it is desired to maintain the consistency of the data structure of the address book contact, and the separation of the drawing function is also desired. As illustrated in Figure 8, the address book contact may not include any visible or hidden fields for the map location (for example, longitude and latitude coordinates). Hope to maintain this (existing) data structure or format without attaching any fields for drawing maps. In this way, using the aforementioned technology, the processor of the mobile communication device can avoid storing the longitude and latitude coordinates (or any other map/location data) associated with each address book contact. In fact, after the initial map is drawn or after a short period of time, the longitude and latitude coordinates associated with the address book contact can be discarded and no longer used. In this way, the data structure of each address book contact can be maintained, and the memory of the mobile communication device can also be saved. Also note that the map server (such as server 321) can use a consistent input/output protocol (such as input = longitude and latitude coordinates, output = map drawing data), without the map server processing the address as input request. In this way, it is very useful to use the address geocoding server in the middle to temporarily obtain and use the longitude and latitude coordinate data through the wireless network.

[0095] FIG. 15 is a flowchart of another method for associating a drawing function with information in an address book or list. Similarly, in the example provided, as mentioned earlier, the contact book is an address book. However, the contact book or list can be any applicable contact book or list, such as a phone number book or list, an email address book or list, or a subscriber identity module (SIM) or USIM book or list. The method performed by the mobile communication device as described in the preceding figures is executed, or alternatively, it is executed by any computer or communication device (for example, a PC). The method may be executed by one or more processors of the communication device. The computer program product of the mobile station may include execution stored on a computer readable medium (memory, floppy disk or CD-ROM), which is written in accordance with the logic described in this method.

[0096] Starting from block 1502 of FIG. 15, the processor causes the map of the location to be visually displayed on the display of the mobile communication device (step 1504 of FIG. 15). The drawing may be performed based on a request from a terminal user to map a specific location or address through a user interface, or the drawing may be a real-time location of a mobile communication device in a mobile environment. Next, the processor receives a user input request to associate the location of the map with the address book contact of the mobile communication device (step 1506 of FIG. 15). The user input request may be a part of a user input request to create a new address book contact, or a part of a user input request to an existing address book contact at the insertion position. In response, the processor

CN 101166326 Β

The location data corresponding to the location is stored in the field of one or more address book contacts (step 1508 in FIG. 15). This function can be provided for any address book contact in the address book, and for any possible location on the map.

[0097] In turn, the technique of FIG. 15 can be partially described by viewing the displayed map in conjunction with FIGS. 8, 11, and 12. First, draw a map on the display (such as Figure 12); then there is a pop-up or drop-down menu function, one of which includes the "create address book contact" function (such as Figure 11); then, insert the location or address into the address book contact People, and view the next/current address book contact information (for example, Figure 8).

[0098] Similarly, in the above-mentioned techniques and examples, the address book or list is the address book of the mobile communication device. However, the contact book or list can be any applicable contact book or list, such as a phone number book or list, an email address book or list, or a subscriber identity module (SIM) or USIM book or list.

[0099] The method and apparatus for providing a drawing function for a contact list in a mobile communication device have been described. These methods can be implemented in a computer program product, including a computer-readable medium and computer instructions stored in the computer-readable medium, and these instructions are executed by one or more processors. The present invention may be part of a mobile communication device, the device having a wireless transceiver; one or more processors coupled to the wireless transceiver; a user interface including a visual display; wherein one or more processors are adapted to perform the method .

[0100] A method of the present invention includes the step of providing a contact list manager function in a mobile communication device to manage a plurality of contacts in the contact list; the user interface of the mobile communication device identifies all the contacts that draw the contact list. A user input request for a map of the location of the selected contact; and in response to the user input request, the following operation of identifying the address of the location in one or more address fields of the selected contact is further performed: The geocoding server sends a location coordinate request with the address as input; receives the longitude and latitude coordinates of the location in response to the location coordinate request via the wireless network; and according to the longitude and latitude coordinates of the map data request in response to the location received via the wireless network Latitude coordinates such that the map corresponding to the location of the selected contact is visually displayed on the display of the mobile device.

[0101] The contact book list can be a part of: an address book or list of contacts with multiple address books; a phone book or list with multiple phone numbers; an email address book or list with multiple email addresses ; Or Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) or USIM book. Obviously, each contact can have at least one phone number field for a phone number. In this case, the method further includes the steps of: recognizing a user input selection of the contact's phone number through the user interface to make a phone call; and in response to the user input selection, causing the call to the phone number to be initiated via the wireless network Phone call. On the other hand, each contact may have at least one email address field for an email address. In this case, the method further includes the steps of: recognizing a user input selection of the contact's email address through the user interface to send an email message; and in response to the user input selection, inserting the email address as the The destination address of the email message. The location may be a pre-stored location or a real-time location of the mobile communication device associated with the selected contact received through the wireless transceiver of the mobile communication device.

[0102] The method further includes the following steps: recognizing the user input selection of the selected contact or address through the user interface; in response to the user input selection of the selected contact or address, causing the function menu to be visually displayed on the display , The function menu includes the drawing function for the selected contact or address; wherein the operation of recognizing the user input request includes the selection of recognizing the drawing function. Alternatively, the method may further include the following steps: recognizing the user input selection of the selected contact through the user interface; in response to the user input request to the selected contact, the function menu is visualized

Displayed on the display, the function menu includes a drawing function for the first address and the second address of the selected contact; and the operation of recognizing the user input request includes recognizing the drawing function for one of the first address and the second address. select.

[0103] In a preferred manner, the method includes the following steps: identifying the address in one or more address fields of the contact; sending a location coordinate request with the address as input to the address geocoding server via a wireless network; responding to The location coordinate request using the address as input, receiving the longitude and latitude coordinates from the address geocoding server; sending the request for map data input with the longitude and latitude coordinates to the map server through the wireless network; and responding to the longitude and latitude coordinates as input The latitude coordinate is a request for input map data, and the map drawing data corresponding to the location is received from the map server, wherein the drawing corresponding to the location is visually displayed based on the map drawing data. If the mapping data of the location has been cached in the memory, the request for the map data is only generated by its mapping application when the mobile communication device obtains the map data from the memory to draw the map (not generated by the map server through the wireless network) .

[0104] The above-mentioned embodiments of the present invention are for example only. Those skilled in the art can understand that various changes, modifications and substitutions can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention. The invention described in the recited claims is intended to cover and include all appropriate changes in technology.